1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns security pockets useful for holding and transporting small objects, such as: pharmaceutical pills, syringes, etc.; jewelry and jewels; and other small, valuable items transported within a manufacturing environment. These security pockets also carry printed information concerning: their contents, how to use, for whom the pocket is designated, and so forth.
2. Background Information
Security pockets have been in use for many years. Typically, one side or face of the pocket is substantially transparent to define a clear substrate for easy viewing of the contents of the pocket. The other side, or back, of the pocket is of paper or like material, defining a panel capable of having information written or printed thereon. Typically, security pockets are rectangular and are formed by gluing three edges of a clear film or plastic substrate to the similar three edges of the back panel; thus leaving their fourth edges available for insertion therebetween of the items to be held in the two ply laminate pocket. After items are placed into the pocket, the fourth edges are sealed together. The business form industry is the usual source of security pockets of the type to which this invention is directed.
An important user of security pockets is the hospital pharmacy, which receives orders for and then dispenses a very wide range of prescriptions, to be used within the hospital. The number of items (pills, vials, etc.), their proper dosage, the patient's name, room, nursing station, doctors name, etc., need to be identified on the paper panel, back side of the pocket. Also, the pocket contents need to be viewable, through the transparent face substrate of the pocket, for verification of the continuing correctness of the contents, when compared with the prescription information on the back side of the security pocket. Such comparison should occur each time that the pocket moves from the pharmacy to another site: via a transporting hospital aide, to the nursing station, to the dispensing R.N., etc. At each "step" along the way, the hospital employee handling the security pocket is to examine the pocket for security verification. Has the pocket been torn open, or an edge slit open, or has there even been any attempt of tampering? If the security pocket has been "violated" in any manner, the employee takes required safety precautions, at least including a return of the pocket to the pharmacy control center for a refilling of the prescription in a new security pocket.
Security pockets also are used for movement of jewelry, loose jewels and parts of jewelry within the environment of jewelry repair and jewelry manufacturers. As another example, the integrity and safety of some small, valuable electronic parts can benefit from the use of security pockets within the manufacturing and transporting facilities.
From the above Background introduction, it now should be appreciated that a transparent security pocket needs to be of suitable construction and materials to facilitate easy handling, provide difficulty in security violation, and permit easy detection of tampering. Although such goals are easily appreciated, they have not been fully achieved heretofore. For example, the affixing of the clear, plastic substrate to the paper panel back side has been primarily accomplished heretofore by pressure sensitive glue or heat sealing. Pressure sensitive glues permits slight shifting of the laminae parts to enable flat fanfold packs, but this causes insufficient bonding of the edges of the two laminae. Hence, an edge or corner of the clear substrate can be lifted manually from the back panel, sufficiently to remove or contaminate the pocket contents; and then the opened corner or edge of the pocket easily can be resealed manually without any evidence of tampering. Heat sealing limits the use of the security pocket to low heat applications, thereby preventing the passage of the security pocket through, for example, laser printers or copy machines.
Heretofore, the information on the back panel has been hand written, or manually typewritten; or the empty pocket is fed through an automated printer of the impact type, often a "form fed" impact printer. However, to achieve: reduction in printing noise, increased clarity of print, printing of bar codes, and higher speed printing, non-impact printers, e.g. ink jet and laser printers, preferably sheet fed, have been considered and heretofore attempted without success. Non-impact printing introduces problems not yet solved and possibly not even fully recognized by the prior art manufacturers and users of security pockets.
One problem is that the electrical corona of laser printers forms an electric capacitor between the plastic/paper laminate of the pocket. Such capacitor can hold a relatively high voltage, which can present a discharge shock hazard to the operator. The corona of the laser also generates static electricity, which causes jamming of the security pockets at both the input and output feeding sides of the printer.
There also is generated static electricity by the feeding, sliding of the clear plastic substrate of one pocket over the paper panel of the next to be fed pocket in the input stack of the printer. Similarly, static electricity is formed on/at the output stack, as the pocket slides out from the printer and onto the output stack. The thus generated static charges cause severe feed jamming at both the input and output sides of the non-impact, sheet fed printer.
Additionally, laser printing includes a high temperature print fixing stage, approximately 400.degree. F. (205.degree. C.). This heat causes the prior art plastic film substrate to shrink; hence, the film acquires a smaller surface area than the paper panel to which it is secured. This causes a curling of the two ply laminate security pocket, which leads to output side printer feed jams.